A Scent of Leather
by Coquelicots
Summary: My drabble submissions for Round 2 of the Dramione LDWS Challenge on Livejournal. The entire contest can be found at DRAMIONE*underscore*LDWS on Livejournal. Everyone is welcome to vote. Look for new challenges every week. D/Hr
1. Challenge 1, Leather and Librarians

_Round 2, Challenge I of the Dramione LDWS 'Leather & Librarians' at Livejournal._

_Prompt: Must take place in a library._

_Other submissions may be found here: community./dramioneldws/15068.html#cutid1_

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_A Scent of Leather, 499 words_

Hermione was nearly in tears.

"What have we done?" she sobbed as she clutched helplessly at the half of the book in her hands.

"WE?" said Draco. "It was you who used magic to try to rip the book away from me."

Tears tricked down her face. "Just help me fix this, okay?"

Draco watched her scramble around the floor for a moment before speaking.

"Here, let me do it."

"Oh, like you know about fixing rare library books."

"It was actually my father's favorite punishment for me. I've repaired thousands of books like this, so shut it, Granger."

"Oh," Hermione whispered as he knelt on the floor too.

"Go get some paste," he grumbled. You've nearly torn this whole leather cover off."

Moments later Ron Weasley entered Hogwart's library, only to be stopped dead by Hermione's soft voice floating over the shelves.

"I love feeling leather stretch across the spine."

"We don't have time for your indulgences. Just take off the jacket."

A rustle and a sigh made Ron's heart leap.

"That's more like it," he heard Malfoy say. "Now, help me take this leather off."

"All of it?"

"Yes, all of it," said Malfoy. "Don't look so worried. I'll be careful, I promise. I've done this a million times."

With a grunt was the unmistakeable sound of leather dropping to the floor.

"Wow," Hermione whispered. "I've never seen anything so beautiful look so… naked."

Draco scoffed. "I'll bet you haven't. Alright, now grab that for me, will ya? And just hold onto it."

"What do I do with it?"

"Just give it a squeeze."

Hermione grunted. "Nothing came out."

"Well, just squeeze it harder."

Hermione exhaled loudly. Malfoy cried out in surprise.

"Oh, no," Hermione groaned. "It's gotten everywhere. Now I'm all sticky and wet."

"That's alright," Malfoy said impatiently. "We'll clean up later. Now put that right in there."

There was a pause and Ron's stomach dropped to his shoes.

"You promised to be careful, remember?"

"Yes, yes," Malfoy huffed. "Just move out of the way so I can get inside."

Ron collapsed soundlessly onto the carpet.

When the darkness cleared from Ron's eyes, it was done. From his position on the floor, Ron could see their shadowed feet moving beneath the shelves.

"Careful," Malfoy cautioned, "or we'll have to take everything off and start again."

Hermione laughed. "Don't tempt me. I usually like doing things a couple of times over, just to make sure I've gotten them right."

Malfoy carefully slid the repaired book back onto its shelf, its leather cover neatly realigned, its dust jacket wrapped snugly in place.

As they walked out of the library, Draco ran his wand over the sticky white paste splattered across Hermione's robes, making the stains disappear. Hermione stopped herself from saying that she could do that herself and smiled politely instead.

Draco grinned too, just as Ron picked himself up off the library floor. "You know, Granger, for your first time, I thought you did pretty well."

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_5 favorite votes (woot!)_

_28 August 2008_


	2. Challenge 3, Back to School

_I used my skip for challenge II, where the prompt was 'Lies, Lies, Lies (yeah)' and had to involve a lie._

_Here's the next weeks submission for the prompt, 'Back to School,' which had to take place at Hogwarts after Hermione and Draco had graduated._

_Round 2, Challenge III of the Dramione LDWS 'Leather and Librarians' at Livejournal._

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_Ticking Clocks and Time Machines, 474 words_

 Wet grass clung to their ankles and pulled at the hems of their robes as they climbed silently through the twilight. The evening's weight had begun to lift and a golden morning glowed dimly below the horizon. For once, Hermione wasn't facing that rising sun. Instead, she headed west towards the swiftly fading darkness, to look it in the eye one last time.  They reached the summit of the hill with shortened breaths and pounding hearts. Hermione felt the hand holding her own give a sharp squeeze, and she knew they had arrived.  Hermione looked up at Draco, a faint grin playing on her lips. He smiled back down at her, and she realized with a jolt that this was the first true smile she had seen on him in months. So many months.  Suddenly, Hermione felt a chill run through her. She ran to the stone block she had seen over Draco's shoulder.  At her feet was a large bolder, slowly taking form in the growing light. As she felt it with her fingers, Hermione couldn't breath. Her thumb traced the letters her eyes could not yet see.  H-O-G-W-A-  At that Hermione began to run. She heard a shout but she paid it no mind. Hot tears formed in her eyes and the long grass sliced viciously at her legs as she whipped by.  Hermione's breath caught painfully in her chest as a large, warm body slammed into her from behind. She always forgot how much faster Draco was than her and, as she struggled against his arms, how much stronger. With a gasp and a sob, Hermione folded over limp in his grasp.  Draco had never been good with emotions, so as he held Hermione's broken form, it is not surprising that all he could whisper into her hair was a soft, "Oh, Granger."  In that instant, Hermione felt her heart spill over, like a cup that had become too full. Granger, Granger Granger. The name was too familiar in this place to bear. She felt her mind slip backwards, through hours, months, and years, to places that she seldom let it visit anymore: to haunted halls that had once stood here, to cavernous classrooms, to parchments, to textbooks, to the magic that crackled in the air, and all those faces, those thousands of faces, still here. All still here.  Hermione sunk to the ground with Draco, and she sobbed into his coat until nothing else would come. The sun was rising now, and a soft breeze rolled across the ruins of Hogwarts.  When Hermione caught her breath, she looked Draco in the eye.  "Don't ever call me 'Granger' again."  He smirked. "I actually think the person who can make sure of that is here."  She turned to see an elderly woman in a frock climbing the hill.  "Dang strange place you two picked for a wedding. Let's get on with this. Are you ready?"  Hermione nodded.  It was a new day.


End file.
